Old Overholt
Distillery: Old Forester Distillery. Louisville, KY Age: 3 YR Proof: 80 Nose: The first thing I notice is a thick sweet scent like caramel frosting followed up by some notes of graham cracker pie crust, cinnamon and green apples. Round that out with a bit of iodine and a slight but steady rye spice you end up with a nice bouquet that is pleasing, but quite light on the rye notes. Palate: The rye spice pops a bit more here and it’s accompanied by a hints of lemon pepper, course grains and some soft woodiness. A strange subversive sweetness runs alongside the spicy peppery fruit and creates a very interesting juxtaposition of flavors. Color: Golden Honey Notes: Old Overholt has been around for quite a long time and it has a very storied history that starts back in the early 1800’s. Back then, in ye olden times, Old Overholt was being made in Pennsylvania, where a lot of rye whiskey was made at the time, but is now owned and made by Jim Beam in Kentucky. For the last 200+ years Old Overholt has been loved, parodied, used as “medicinal” alcohol by the Navy, was supposedly the favorite whiskey Mr. Doc Holliday and until the recent whiskey and cocktail renaissance was often the only rye you could find. This warm and spicy concoction of at least 51% rye (along with some corn and barley) is currently being made in Kentucky under the watchful eye of the Beam distillers and is among my favorite “bottom shelf” whiskeys. Neat, chilled, on the rocks or even better in a cocktail, this whiskey is a stalwart and reliable workhorse no matter how you drink it. |